German Army General Staff, after the war broke out, this place has become the busiest place.
A large number of staff officers came in and out, and the Telegram machine kept ringing, sending and receiving Telegram. The tall female officers marked the situation on the front line on the sand table and map based on the latest battle conditions, so that Commander could see it clearly at a glance.
Wilhelm II would often visit General Staff Headquarters after finishing his official duties. This war is too important, related to the fate of Germany. Therefore, even Wilhelm II does not dare to take this matter lightly.
"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, Telegram sent back by Meuse Army Corps." A staff officer handed a copy of Telegram to Moltke the Younger.
"What's wrong? Have they already captured Fortress of Liège?" Wilhelm II looked away from the sand table and asked. However, he later discovered that Moltke the Younger's face was not pretty. The smile on his face has completely disappeared.
"Your Majesty, Meuse Army Corps did not capture Fortress of Liège. On the contrary, they were blocked. Belgians used a strong fortress to successfully block General von Emmich, and caused Meuse Army Corps to suffer heavy losses." Moltke the Younger said.
Wilhelm II's brows also frowned tightly.
"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, will this have any adverse impact on the next battle?" Wilhelm II asked.
"Your Majesty, everything is under our control, there won't be any big problems." Moltke the Younger shook his head, and his face regained its confidence.
It can be said that German Army was the first army to set up a staff headquarters. They used strict combat plans to command the army, even to the point of rigidity. The battle plan formulated by German military is very detailed, even down to how many meters the troops have to march during the march. One meter more will not work, and one meter less will not work. It is precisely because of this system that German military has become a sophisticated machine that can operate quickly. No other country can compare with it.
It was also from this time on that the role of strategy and tactics in war became smaller and smaller. War has become a competition of the country's comprehensive national strength. The wisdom gathered by a large number of staff officers is not much worse than that of the so-called famous generals.
In these aspects, German military is undoubtedly the best.
"Order the secret weapons we have prepared to go to Fortress of Liège. In addition, all the ones borrowed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire will be sent over. Tell General von Emmich that Fortress of Liège must be captured within a week." Moltke the Younger ordered.
"Yes, Your Excellency, Chief of Staff." A staff officer immediately went to convey the order.
In this regard, although Wilhelm II saw everything, he did not interfere. He only cares about the final result, not the process. He also knows that he is not a professional. Therefore, it is better to leave it to professionals to command troops to fight.
The so-called secret weapon Moltke the Younger said was specially prepared for Fortress of Liège. Before the war, German Army General Staff also considered that problems would arise. Therefore, Shift prepared a batch of secret weapons.
These secret weapons are large-caliber siege artillery. They are 420mm Howitzer produced by Krupp Company and 305mm Howitzer produced by Škoda Works of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The entire Germany has only 5 doors in total, 420mm Howitzer, and Moltke the Younger provided 4 doors to General von Emmich at one time. Coupled with the 8-door 305mm heavy-duty Howitzer borrowed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, General von Emmich has a very terrifying siege force in its hands.
On August 12, the 4-door 420mm heavy-duty Howitzer and the 8-door 305mm Howitzer arrived at the front line. Although, in the past few days of fighting, German military has occupied some fortresses. But overall, the most important fortress is still under the control of the Belgium army.
"Haha, now, let's see how Belgians resists our attack! Order the artillery to prepare and start bombarding this afternoon, destroy Belgians's fortress and kill them all!" General von Emmich ordered. You know, after several days of fighting, although German military achieved some success, there were many casualties.
At 6:30 pm, General von Emmich issued the order for shelling. Four 420mm heavy-duty Howitzer and eight 305mm Howitzer fired first at Fort de Fléron, the strongest among the Fortress of Liège turrets. The gunners filled the cannonballs, retreated to the protective trench 300 meters away from the cannon, plugged their ears with earplugs, and then fired the cannon. Just hearing a loud roar that shook the earth, a giant cannonball shot straight up to an altitude of 3,000 meters, and then landed in a parabola shape 1,000 meters in front of Fort de Fléron. Immediately, a large crater dozens of meters square was blown out of the ground, and sand and dust were splashed all over the sky. The astonishing power of 420mm Howitzer not only frightened the defenders of Belgium, but also stunned the attacking German military. After that, other heavy artillery fired one after another, and the German military observer in the airship kept correcting the bombardment coordinates. Finally, the eighth shell hit the top cover of Fort de Fléron. The giant shell penetrated the roof of the fort, went straight into the central tunnel and exploded. The inside of the fort was immediately filled with fireworks, and the Belgium defenders were blown to pieces. German military The other three giant cannons also calibrated their coordinates and fired continuously. Fort de Fléron was shaking like it was sitting on the crater of a volcano. Reinforced concrete, broken limbs, guns and materials were flying everywhere, and the fire reflected half of the sky red. When everything calmed down, the German military infantry rushed forward. The huge Fort de Fléron had been turned into rubble and ruins, and no defenders survived.
On August 13, German military's cannon destroyed two forts of Belgium's defenders. The remaining forts still resisted and refused to surrender. General von Emmich ordered the remaining 12 cannons to be divided into two groups and sweep the remaining forts along both sides of the Maas River. As a result, earth-shaking loud noises continued on the battlefield every day, and the forts collapsed one after another, turning into huge iron furnaces and crematoriums. By August 16, 11 of the 12 forts had been destroyed, leaving only Fort de Loncin guarded by Belgium guard Leman. General von Emmich once again sent people to persuade him to surrender, but Leman still refused. So 12 giant cannons fired a salvo at Fort de Loncin. The fort immediately burst into flames. The ammunition depot in the fort was also ignited. A chain explosion occurred. The top cover of the fort was lifted dozens of meters away, and the entire fort was completely destroyed.
The Battle of Liege finally ended with German military's victory, but German military suffered heavy casualties in front of the fortress, with losses exceeding 40,000. But after winning Fortress of Liège, millions of German military were able to march straight in and kill Marne River.